1. Field of the Invention
This system relates to temporary handles that are removably attachable to a cumbersome item. Specifically, the system relates to a plurality of handles attached to opposed sides of a container, for the convenient lifting and transporting of the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most containers are constructed with smooth, lateral, vertical sides that make them difficult to lift. Access to the bottom surface of the container is required to achieve the grip needed to lift the container. Fingers are usually slid under the container to apply the upward force needed to lift. This method can prove to be quite painful and may also lead to back strain, an occurrence that is commonly suffered when an improper technique is used to lift heavy boxes.
Often, more than one person is needed to lift and transport a very large or cumbersome container. Both carriers must get a firm hold on the container and the movement and progression of the carriers must be coordinated to avoid any accidents. This is difficult to accomplish, especially since one carrier usually must face in the direction opposite that travelled. The result can be an uncomfortable and awkward attempt to transport a container.
Many containers have been constructed with permanent handles, either as projections or apertures found on the vertical surfaces of the container. Additional projections on the vertical sides of the container are very inconvenient, requiring more room in storing and stacking the containers, and can be broken off or damage adjacent containers. Fibrous containers made of cardboard are often disassembled and stacked in flat piles for storage. Permanent handles projecting from the container would make this very difficult to accomplish. It is preferred that containers do not contain apertures. Any discontinuity in the vertical face of the container would cause a material weakness, diminishing the ability to reuse the container. Apertures in the container would also expose the container's inner contents to moisture and other elements, causing possible damage to the contents. In many cases, the inner contents would be severely damaged if exposed to these elements.
A number of systems for lifting and transporting containers have been developed, with varying degrees of success. U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,126 to Cornish (1962) illustrates the problems which accompany openings in the sides of a container. The patent discloses a system for reinforcing these openings. A wire loop, preferably of such a shape and size to substantially frame the handle opening, is fixed to the inside surface of the container and serves as a hand hold for the container. The wire loop is fastened to the end section of the container by strips of tape which are folded around the loop, and adhered to the end walls of the container to distribute the load and prevent the container from tearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,452 to Jester (1967) discloses handles constructed of two-ply paper reinforced by threads. The upper half of the two-ply paper is wrapped around a dowel pin which serves as a handle. The bottom half of the paper includes an adhesive surface. Each adhesive surface is placed near opposite top edges of the container. The handles extend upward from the top edges when carrying a load and hang adjacent to the vertical side walls of the container when not in use. This device fails to account for the weight of a filled container. The container's weight creates a shearing force between it and the adhesive surface of the two-ply paper. It would be difficult for the adhesive strength of the paper to withstand the shearing force present, creating the strong possibility that the handles would pull away from the container when it is lifted. The adhesive used on this device is not reuseable and the handles must either be discarded or left to hang from the container, creating an inconvenience during storing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,349 to Uccellini (1980) uses a pair of handles with a plurality of pointed projections oriented from the handle at 45.degree. angles. The handles are designed to engage opposite, vertical sides of a fibrous container. While not completely penetrating the container, the device does puncture its outer surface and diminishes the material strength of the cardboard. After a container has been repeatedly subjected to these handles its outer surface may be seriously damaged. Because the handles are unable to penetrate a metal container, the use of this device is limited to fibrous containers, such as cardboard.
The foregoing devices represent improvements in the lifting and transporting of large containers. However, most of these devices do not take into account the shearing force present when a large container is lifted. In most cases the handles may detach from the container when the initial force needed to lift the container is applied. In order for handles to be effective they must not puncture or deface the surface of the container, they must be able to withstand the shearing force present between the handles and the container during lifting and transporting, and they should not interfere with stacking the containers when either assembled or unassembled. The prior art is unable to meet these requirements. Manually lifting and transporting containers may prove to be more efficient and effective than the devices disclosed in the prior art.
Several devices exist in unrelated fields which use the hook and loop fasteners used in the present invention. These hook and loop fasteners are commonly provided under the trademark Velcro. A Velcro fastener is a releasibly interlocking system comprised of two cooperating sheets, each with an adhesive backing. The first sheet has a plurality of flexible loop elements made of a resilient material, i.e. nylon. The second sheet has a plurality of flexible hook elements made from the same material. The two sheets are brought together so that generally each hook element interacts with a loop element. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,128,514 to Parker, et al. (1964), a device is disclosed for securing a writing instruction to a support by adhering the first Velcro sheet to the writing instrument and the cooperating Velcro sheet to the support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,926 to Mates (1966) uses Velcro fasteners to easily and quickly attach and securely hold drapery hardware to the drapery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,811 to Finney (1968) applies a Velcro sheet to the palm of a glove and a cooperating Velcro sheet to a handle. This device is intended to enable a person to grip the handle of a sporting implement or to control the wheel of an airplane, automobile or boat with a secure, non-slip grip. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,102 to Gillemot, et al. (1970), Velcro fasteners are used to attach a protective cover to a support surface without defacing the surface and without the need to penetrate the surface with fastening devices. This device is commonly used to conceal an anchor cable coupling for communication equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,725 to Coulter, et al. (1975) attaches two Velcro sheets to opposite sides of a trash can. The two sheets are brought together to latch down the trash can cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,139 to Hong, et al. (1980) discloses a hand held sanding pad. Sand paper is adhered to one surface of the sanding pad and Velcro fasteners are used to attach a handle to the opposite surface of the sanding pad. A towel and mounting method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,366 to Lucke (1983). A towel containing a first Velcro sheet is detachably held by a support member containing the cooperating Velcro sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,733 to Kallman (1983) discloses a pouch with a Velcro segment, adapted to hold and insulate an open beverage and capable of being attached and removed from a support surface containing the cooperating Velcro segment.